THREE men have been sentenced for their involvement in supplying cocaine in Coventry, Bedworth and Nuneaton.
Daniel Kettel, Keaton Clinton, and Liam Murray were sentenced at Warwick Crown Court on March 25.
Clinton pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of cocaine and was given a sentence of 24 months, suspended for two years.
Kettel pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of cocaine and to the possession of criminal property and was sentenced to three years in prison.
Murray pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of cocaine, possession of cocaine with intent to supply, possession of criminal property, possession of CS gas, possession of cannabis, and possession of tramadol (a Class C drug). He was jailed for three years.
But, in addition to the charges around drugs supply, Kettel and Murray along with Ky Walding, aged 38, of George Eliot Avenue, Bedworth, were found to have been involved in an incident on August 20 of last year, during which police officers were called to a fight on Queen Mary’s Road in Bedworth.
A Nissan Micra with a damaged windscreen and windows was driving away from the scene, which was stopped. Walding, the driver, disclosed the car had been smashed up with a hammer by Murray and Kettel.
Murray and Kettel were arrested at the scene. Initially, Walding was treated as a victim and was free to go, but later admitted in interview that he had attended the address to settle an issue with Kettel and used threatening behaviour while there.
CCTV footage showed an argument between the three men, during which Kettel was swinging a hammer around in the street.
At Leamington Spa Magistrates Court earlier this month, Kettel and Murray pleaded guilty to affray, and each received six weeks in prison and received a victims’ surcharge of £154.
Walding pleaded guilty to using threatening, abusive, or insulting words or behaviour with intent to cause fear of or provoke unlawful violence. He has been issued with a £50 fine and a community order requiring him to attend rehabilitation activities for 20 days.
Kettel and Murray’s drugs offences
The charges followed an investigation which began on October 17 last year, when a car belonging to Kettel, who is 33, and lives at King Georges Avenue in Bedworth, was spotted conducting what appeared to be a drug deal on Borough Way in Nuneaton.
It emerged Kettel and Murray, aged 26, of Clifton Road, Nuneaton, had both been involved in running a cocaine supply line across Coventry, Bedworth, and Nuneaton.
Large amounts of text messages had been sent and calls made from their phone numbers to known drug users in the area, including one (from Kettel) reading “I don’t do tick (with payments promised to be made in the future) whilst Liam is away”.
The messages frequently referenced Keaton Clinton, aged 21, of Sherbourne Avenue in Ryde, as a driver and runner for Murray and Kettel.
On November 21 last year, police raided Whitmore Park Road in Coventry, the home address of Murray, and Queen Mary’s Road in Bedworth, where Kettel was living.
Murray and Clinton were both arrested at Whitmore Park Road, where officers also discovered 3g of cocaine, 9g of cannabis, numerous packets of Tramado Hydrochloride (a strong opioid-based painkiller and £4,037.46 in cash. Thre were also several weapons, including CS spray, an extendible baton, machete and a gas-powered handgun.
And a pair of smart phones were found at the property, confirmed to be handsets linked to the drug supply line.
At the address in Bedworth, officers found another pair of smart phones (also linked to the line), £1,650 in cash, and a wooden handled machete.
Receipts discovered at both addresses suggested Murray and Kettel had both been living far beyond their means, and evidenced a holiday to Turkey and four motorbikes worth thousands of pounds in the garage in Bedworth.
An officer from the Nuneaton Serious Organised Crime Team said “Cocaine is a blight on the planet – not just our communities – and each granule has a history of violence, death, and pain stretching around the globe.
“All this, just so a few people can have a bit of a buzz at the weekend.
“Murray, Kettel, and Clinton selfishly chose to be involved in a blood-soaked trade to pay for holidays, motorbikes, and other luxuries for themselves.
“We hope that their sentences will encourage them to consider their impact on the world and not just their own pockets.”
PC Morrison said: “Walding, rather than wandering round looking for a confrontation, should have taken a moment to breathe and de-escalate.
“Kettel and Murray, rather than taking the opportunity to beat their chests, would also have been better off keeping a level head.
“All three have been shown the consequences of their actions – the ball is now in their court to not make the same mistakes again.”
